Does sex have a history? This course proposes to respond to this provocative question by demonstrating how modern notions of sexuality have emerged historically. In that sense, sex is not part of nature, it is part of culture, or rather cultures and their histories.

This lecture course will introduce students to an exciting new field of historical research. We will cast our net widely. Our history will contain histories and cultures whose sexual orders differ greatly from what we know about the West. But also within Western societies, we will discover a wealth of sexual cultures and practices that will help us transform our understanding of modern societies.

Our approach will be both topical and chronological. We will cover fields such as homosexuality, matrimony, prostitution, pornography, and transvestism. We will also investigate the interaction of sexuality with race, class, and gender. We will explore these topics by canvassing a history from ancient times to the present.

Syllabi are available to current LSA students. IMPORTANT: These syllabi are provided to give students a general idea about the courses, as offered by LSA departments and programs in prior academic terms. The syllabi do not necessarily reflect the assignments, sequence of course materials, and/or course expectations that the faculty and departments/programs have for these same courses in the current and/or future terms.